Flputnam Investment Management Co. Sells 239 Shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

Flputnam Investment Management Co. reduced its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK) by 7.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,775 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 239 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. West Oak Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 455.6% during the 4th quarter. West Oak Capital LLC now owns 100 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc bought a new stake in shares of Rockwell Automation during the 4th quarter worth $49,000. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on ROK. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $337.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. HSBC raised Rockwell Automation from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $355.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Stephens raised Rockwell Automation from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $275.00 to $350.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $335.00 to $345.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Loop Capital upped their target price on Rockwell Automation from $260.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Rockwell Automation currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $307.55.

Rockwell Automation Trading Up 1.1 %

NYSE ROK opened at $287.51 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $286.05 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.59. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a one year low of $242.81 and a one year high of $308.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.72.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 10th. The industrial products company reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.22. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.17% and a net margin of 11.38%. Research analysts expect that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 earnings per share for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Rockwell Automation’s dividend payout ratio is currently 65.26%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Rockwell Automation news, VP Isaac Woods sold 895 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $274.72, for a total value of $245,874.40. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $329,114.56. This represents a 42.76 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Terry L. Riesterer sold 850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.21, for a total value of $255,178.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $490,242.93. The trade was a 34.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 6,540 shares of company stock valued at $1,935,134 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.68% of the company’s stock.

Rockwell Automation Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.